Planckendael Zoo is running a breeding program for Eurasian black vultures, in collaboration with several other European zoos. Planckendael is spearheading the program, which aims to rebuild a population with a diverse gene pool, using vultures that are regularly moved between zoos. Genetically valuable animals remain in captivity for their entire lives. Eurasian black vultures with sufficient DNA of a particular species are eligible for release into the wild, in Bulgaria or Spain. This year, the program will produce an estimated four young vultures—they are currently hatching—of which one will be released. Such a release into the wild is a costly operation, so it is important to choose the right animals. Until now, this has been done solely on the basis of their genetic material. Purely biologically. But because the scientists behind the breeding program have begun to realize in recent years that not all birds are equally suited to survival in the wild, anthropologist Frederick Verbruggen will set up a small-scale experiment this summer, testing the birds' character and cognitive skills for several weeks.
Lode Desmet (1965) is an award winning international documentary filmmaker who has made films for & in co-production with most European broadcasters – ARTE and BBC included.
He started his career in print journalism – writing for De Morgen and Humo – and moved on to become a sports journalist for Radio 1. In 1994 he started working for television and since then he has made a long list of shorter and longer documentary films. A short selection of his more recent filmography:
- Parcours, 2023 (Docville, VRT)
- Brexit Behind Closed Doors, 2019 (BBC, ARTE, ZDF, VPRO, VTM, RTBF, NRK, DR & SVT)
- A La Guerre Comme A La Guerre, 2010 (ARTE & Lichtpunt)
Why do I want to make this film? As a documentary filmmaker, I observe people and show their behavior, but I leave the interpretation to the viewer, with considerable freedom to form their own opinion. It couldn't be any other way, because many documentaries focus on just one case, one or a few individuals, so naturally, you can't draw any grand, general conclusion from that. Scientists do the opposite. They look at the world with the intention of generalizing, discovering irrefutable laws, and they won't publish anything until they've developed a thesis that they can extensively substantiate with examples. In nature documentaries that knowledge is often translated into breathtaking stories. Because I'm sometimes a little jealous of that — of that broader context — I once made a documentary series based on this motto: What if we were to look at ourselves, at that strange creature 'the working person' the way we look at animals in nature documentaries? Professor Frederick Verbruggen made the opposite move ten years ago. He began his career observing people, then switched to birds. And soon he realized that birds, too, are individuals first and foremost. And that behavioral science and the individual are like… the chicken and the egg.
Directed & filmed by Lode Desmet
Edit - Michel Ronsmans
Sound post - Frank Duchêne
Music - Roel De Ruijter
Post-production - Jack the Cutter
In co-production with Docville & VRT
With the support of Universiteit Gent, Department of Economy, Science & Innovation, Sabam for Culture, Fonds Pascal Decroos and the Tax Shelter measure of the Belgian Federal Government through Flanders Tax Shelter
Language: Dutch & English
Subtitles: Dutch & English